Owner's Manual Car Stereo Preamplifier RUBICON 502 702 1002

f INSTALLATION STEP 4
AMPLIFIER LOCATION
The RUBICON amplifiers employ highly efficient circuitry, a custom-engineered
heat sink, and a unique Chassisink construction to maintain lower operating
temperatures.
Additional cooling may be required if the amplifier is located in a
tightly confined area or when driving especially low impedance loads at extremely
high levels.
When mounting the amplifier, it should be securely mounted to either a panel in
the vehicle or an amp board or rack that is securely mounted to the vehicle. The
mounting location should be either in the passenger compartment or in the trunk
of the vehicle, away from moisture, stray or moving objects, and major electrical
components. To provide adequate ventilation, mount the amplifier so that there
are at least two inches of freely circulating air above and to the sides of it.
MOUNTING THE AMPLIFIER
a. Using the amplifier as a template, mark the holes on the mounting surface.
b.
Remove the amplifier and drill the holes for the mounting screws.
C. Secure the amplifier to the mounting surface using the supplied hardware.
WIRING
a.
Run and connect the audio signal and remote turn-on cables to the ampli-
fier from the source unit.
b.
Carefully run the positive cable from the amplifier to a fuse or circuit breaker
within 18” of the battery.
C. Connect the fuse or circuit breaker lead to the battery. Leave the circuit
breaker off or the fuse out until everything is bolted down.
d.
Secure the ground cable to a solid chassis ground on the vehicle. It may be
necessary to sand paint down to raw metal for a good connection.
e. Double check each and every connection!
f. Re-connect the fuse or circuit breaker.
POWER UP
INSTALLATION STEP 5 )
LEVEL SETTlNG
The input levels are adjusted by means of the individual channel input level
controls located on the front of the amplifier. This is a unique dual-stage circuit
that adjusts both level and gain.
This topology maintains better S/N Ratio even
when using sources with minimal output.
In the ideal situation, all components in the audio system reach maximum
undistorted output at the same time.
If you send a distorted signal to an amplifier,
it is simply going to amplify distorted information. The same holds true if an
outboard processor or crossover begins to distort before you have maximum
output from the amplifier. By setting all components to reach clipping at the same
time, you can maximize the output of your system. For the RUBICON amplifiers,
follow these steps for setting the input levels:
1. Turn the amplifiers’ input levels to minimum position (counter-clockwise)
2. Set the source unit volume to approximately 3/4 of full volume.
3. While playing dynamic source material, slowly increase the amplifiers’ input
level until a near maximum undistorted level is heard in the system.
The clipping indicators on the top of the amplifier let you know when the output of
the amplifier is reaching its maximum level, and has begun to clip.
FRONT SPOILER
Once the amplifier is installed and the proper levels set, place the front spoiler in
position, and secure it on using the supplied hardware.
Power up the system, there may be a 2-3 second delay from the time the source
unit is turned on to the time that the amplifier turns on, which is normal. Once the
amplifer LED is on and the source unit is playing, you should have sound coming
from the speakers.
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